


The Man Who Waited

by sonictrowel



Series: Long Night in the Blue House [53]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Flash Forward, Humor, Light Angst, Twelve talks to his ladies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 02:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11244744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonictrowel/pseuds/sonictrowel
Summary: “Well,” Missy said as she opened her takeaway carton, “at least we’re finally starting to get to the bit when there’s anything half-decent to eat in Bristol.   I’ve had quite enough of suffering with your bloody home cooking every day.”





	The Man Who Waited

[Earth, 1997]

“Well,” Missy said as she opened her takeaway carton, “at least we’re finally starting to get to the bit when there’s anything half-decent to eat in Bristol.   I’ve had quite enough of suffering with your bloody home cooking every day.”

“Don’t lie,” the Doctor replied, draped sideways over his armchair and not looking up from the Tamagotchi he was also currently feeding. “My cooking’s fucking great." 

She scoffed.  “Now, I know you’re still _relatively_ recently off a period of constantly having your ego stroked—”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

_“Ew.”_

The Doctor smirked.

“Honestly,” Missy huffed, “how dare you?  It was _my_ job to be your corrupting influence.”

“You were rubbish at it.”

“When am I finally going to get to congratulate the missus, anyway?” she asked, ignoring him.  “Truly, the suspense is killing me.”

The humour quickly drained from the Doctor’s face.  “You know she’s gone, Missy,” he said, finally glancing up. 

“So you keep saying.  And I’ll believe it when… well, no, actually, I shan’t, because you’re an _absolutely dismal liar.”_

“You think I’d be whiling away my Friday evenings with you if I still had her?”

“You wound me, Doctor.  Here I thought we were friends.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Nevertheless, you’ve got her hidden away somewhere.  Is keeping women in boxes your new _thing?”_  She made air quotes and a sour face. “I do hope you’re not starting a collection.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes.  “I’ve got marking to do,” he said, swinging his legs down and standing from his chair.  “Enjoy your dinner.”

“Mind you, I’d be interested to know where you’ve stashed the kiddies, too.”

The Doctor froze, already facing the vault door.  “The hell are you on about?” he asked gruffly.

“Please.  The broody hen vibes have been rolling off you from minute one.  Call it women’s intuition, if you like.  You ought to try it next time.”

“I know you’re bored, Missy, but now you’ve really let your imagination run afield.  I’ll bring you some new toys.  How about Jenga?  The aim is actually to _not_ destroy the tower; just thought you’d need to hear that up front.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why you’d put yourself through that again,” she said, sounding unusually sincere.  “Only thought you might like to finally talk about it.  I know a thing or two about empty nests.”

“We both do,” the Doctor said quietly.  “But that’s old news.” 

“If you say so.”  

That was becoming her bloody catchphrase.  

He needed to stop coming in here so often.  She noticed too much.

___

“I swear I haven’t breathed a word about them,” the Doctor muttered, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms.  “Am I that easy to read?”

“For me?  Obviously,” River said, tugging his wrists away from his face.  When he opened his eyes, the black blots and white stars slowly retreated from his vision, dancing around her face as she watched him from the opposite pillow.  “And if she’s known you all your life… probably for her too.”

The Doctor reached out to rest his palm against River’s cheek.  She nuzzled into his hand.

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, honey,” he sighed.

“Have you been in touch with Milly?”

“No,” he frowned.  “I’ve tried to reach her before Manhattan.  But if I accidentally get her while she’s still there, or, or after?  And find out they’ve been there this whole time?  I can’t risk making that a fixed point.  I can’t take the chance of setting it in stone that we never see Athena grow up.”

“I know, darling,” River said gently. 

“The timelines have healed by now, but I can’t go looking for them.  I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing about the Council.  I can only hope I’ve already done it, later.”  He shook his head.  “I do know where she is, back before she came to Darillium.  But I’m not meant to leave Earth.  I have to guard the vault.”

“Well, who’ll even know if you take a little trip?”

“Evidently fucking everyone,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.  “Maybe my eyebrows are transmitting in morse code." 

She snorted.

“And you remember the bit where you authorised your little minion to kick my arse?  Thanks for that, by the way." 

“You _specifically_ asked me to provide arse-kickings as needed.  I had to deputise someone in my absence.”

“Just one of the many fucking billions of things about your absence that is total shit.” 

“I’m here now,” she said, with that loving smile that made his hearts swell almost painfully in his chest.

“Thank god for that,” the Doctor sighed, and pulled her toward him.  He moaned softly into her mouth and a rush of warmth spread through him as her tongue traced slowly over his lower lip.

“Remind me,” he mumbled, trying to speak and keep kissing her at the same time because stopping just did not seem like an option, “why I don’t just schedule a coma for a century or so and stay right here with you.  Nardole can wake me if anything actually happens.” 

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,” she replied gravely, before kissing him again. 

The Doctor nearly just went with the kissing without a second thought.  Nearly.   

“River,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and leaning back enough to regard her seriously.  “Did you just quote fucking Dumbledore at me?” 

Her brows rose and her eyes crinkled as she bit her lip.

“You fucking muppet,” he snorted.  

She swatted at his chest indignantly and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her, rolling her over him and squeezing her tight as she giggled and squirmed in his grip.  Shit, he was _laughing?_  That was novel.  Seemed it was always River who reminded him how to do it.

“What the hell am I doing without you, dear?” he whispered, nudging his nose into her hair.

“Opening young minds to the wonders of the universe, attempting to save the soul of your oldest friend, standing patient guard so you can reunite your family when the time comes.” 

“You make it all sound very noble.  I spent five hours today looking at a little sixteen-pixel duck.  Weirdly addictive,” he said, voice trailing into distraction. 

“Doctor, listen to me.  You’ve been at this nearly sixty years now.   There is nothing wrong with making a life you can enjoy while you’re waiting.  If you think we want you to spend all your time pining for us, you’re an idiot.”

“Yes, well, everyone knows that.”

“Go on and do something stupid.  Have some fun.”

“I am, at the moment,” he said, leaning up to meet her.

River placed a finger on his lips.

“When you’re awake.  Don’t just fake it.  Let yourself be happy.”

“Is there some requirement in the fine print of our marriage where you have to constantly ask me to do impossible things?”

“You can talk,” she scoffed.  "Find a friend."

The Doctor sighed and brushed her hair back from her cheek as she looked down at him.

"Six billion people here.  Not one of them is going to live up to you and the girls." 

"Naturally," River said, with a smug smile.  "But try."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for the wonderful comments on the last installment! Hope this one will tide you over til the Ponds make another appearance :)


End file.
